Kingston, Rhode Island
|blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 1217812 |website = |footnotes = }} }} ]] Kingston is a village and a census-designated place in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. Much of the village center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Kingston Village Historic District. History The town of South Kingstown was formed in 1722 when the former Kings Towne was split into two parts, the other being North Kingstown. South Kingstown was incorporated in 1723. In 1888 a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River to the shore of Narragansett Bay was separated from South Kingstown to form the town of Narragansett. The village was originally called Little Rest, but was renamed Kingston in 1826. It was the county seat for Washington County (formerly Kings County) from 1752 until 1894, when a new courthouse was built in nearby West Kingston. West Kingston is also the site of the historic 120-year-old Kingston Railroad Station, which is served by Amtrak on its Northeast Corridor. South Kingstown established the Kingston Historic District in 1959, and much of Kingston village became a National Register historic district in 1974 as Kingston Village Historic District. The historic district is located just outside of the campus of the University of Rhode Island, and contains many fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture. The historic district includes 38 buildings. The University of Rhode Island was established at Kingston in 1888 as the Rhode Island Agricultural School and Agricultural Experiment Station, by funding from the Hatch Act of 1887. In 1892 the Agricultural School became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts with funding from the Second Morrill Land Grant Act of 1890, later becoming Rhode Island State College in 1909 and the University of Rhode Island in 1951. See also: * Great Swamp Fight of 1675 Nearby populated areas * Wakefield, Rhode Island (3 miles) * Peace Dale, Rhode Island (3 miles) * Narragansett, Rhode Island (5 miles) * West Kingston, Rhode Island Climate Retrieved on November 24, 2011. |date=November 2011 }} Economy In addition to the university, major businesses in Kingston include APC by Schneider Electric and the Arnold Lumber Company. Education Public schools are operated by the South Kingston School District. Educational institutions in Kingston include: * The Compass School, a public K-8 charter school * Kingston Hill Academy, a public K-5 charter school * University of Rhode Island * Gordon Research Conferences center Churches and houses of worship Religious denominations represented with churches in Kingston or on the university campus are Roman Catholicism, the United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, United Methodists, Baptists, and Judaism. See also * George Fayerweather Blacksmith Shop * Great Swamp Fight * Kingston (Amtrak station) * Pettaquamscutt Historical Society Museum * Tavern Hall Preservation Society/Elisha Reynolds House (1738) * Tootell House * Washington County Courthouse * National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island References Further reading *''Images of America: Kingston'' by Betty J. Cotter. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, c. 1999 ISBN 978-0-7385-6364-0 *''Lost South Kingstown : with a history of ten of its early villages'' by Kathleen Bossy and Mary Keane. Kingston, R.I. : Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, c. 2004 *''A History of Kingston, R.I. 1700 – 1900: Heart of Rural South County'' by Christian M. McBurney. Kingston, R.I. : The Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, c. 2004 External links *Town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island * Category:University towns in the United States Category:Villages in Washington County, Rhode Island Category:South Kingstown, Rhode Island Category:Census-designated places in Washington County, Rhode Island Category:Historic districts in Washington County, Rhode Island Category:Providence metropolitan area Category:Villages in Rhode Island Category:Census-designated places in Rhode Island